Gacha System: Reborn In The Hardest World
Chapter 48: Bitter Frost

Chapter 48: Bitter Frost

In the valley gripped by rampant ice, Jae-Seong drifted on the sleet as the dance of life and death was in full effect. From the sky, hundreds of cold arrows rained down, keeping him on his toes.

He used his fists to counter those he couldn’t dodge, blowing a mass amount of the projectiles away in a single blow.

"It’s pointless."

The bored voice told him as he looked up, witnessing a colossal blade of ice descending upon him. A skyscraper of sharpened frost slammed down upon him–THWOOM. It touched down, with absolute assurance that the Outlander beneath was crushed.

Quintus stood atop the massive pillar of ice with a quiet, cold sigh, running his fingers through his fluffy, pale hair, "I don’t see what the big deal with you "Heavenly Kings" are. What’s the fuss about, if this is the best you can do?--"

The half-hearted man raised an eyebrow as the skyscraper of ice moved, finding it lifting up beneath his feet as he looked down. Sure enough, it was hoisted up despite its impossible weight.

At the base of the sword-shaped glacier, the man deemed to be crushed held it up with both hands, casting out his strain through cold breaths.

"Hey now, isn’t this a little ridiculous...?" Quintus tiredly reacted.

[Constellation System Activated.]

[--Blessing of Taurus–]

Across the back of the Outlander, a glowing, horned symbol manifested; the sign of "Taurus." Each muscle in his body swelled, being imbued with divine strength as he pushed the colossal ice over his head.

As he straightened out his bent knees, he pushed his arms up, performing the impossible as the skyscraper of frost was sent flying upwards.

Quintus remained atop the pillar as it rapidly approached the clouds above, keeping his hands tucked in his pockets, "Color me surprised, this might actually take some effort."

On the surface of the ice-sleeted valley, Jae-Seong huffed, watching the glacier as it reached the clouds. As he drew in another breath, he slapped his hands together–

The impact produced a howling force, casting away the frost clinging to the fields he stood in. Shards of ice twinkled in the air following the mighty clap, dazzling in the night-crept region.

He looked up towards the sword-shaped glacier high up in the sky as it began to descend once more. The symbol of the Taurus shifted on his back, reshaping itself into the shape of a bowman–

[--Blessing of Orion–]

Jae-Seong held his hand up as rays of light connected through minuscule stars, forming an ethereal bow. He pulled his right hand back, guiding the moonlit string as an arrow of light was born.

Through the guidance of the hunter in the night sky, he saw past the limitations of the naked eye, peering through clouds and obscurities. The longer the string was drawn, the denser the celestial light gathered.

He held it until, watching the frosted structure to descend before–

It fired.

The arrow of light ascended like a shooting star, rupturing through the night sky. In a mere moment, it collided with the blade of ice, blowing it into glacial chunks. It was a sure hit, he thought, at least until his blessed eyes brought him a different assumption–

Falling from the clouds, the man of frost gracefully descended without any haste for his predicament.

In the heights of the nightfallen beyond, Quintus snapped his fingers with a flick of his arm, "Try this."

An array of ice-forged swords large enough to cleave into mountains manifested in the sky. It was far too many to simply be pointed at the Outlander.

’Is he trying to destroy the entire valley? Don’t tell me that’s the plan here?!’ Jae-Seong realized, pulling the moonlit string back once again.

The release of the bow this time shot an arrow that parted into countless projectiles. Each of the ascending lights danced in the sky with the falling ice. A display of fireworks, exploding in the air with ruptures of light and shattered frost.

With the downpour of frosted shards, he breathed out, once more shifting the symbol on his back to that of a hawk.

[--Blessing of Aquila–]

As he kicked off the ground, a small crater was left as he ascended into the skies with lightning guiding his path. Complete freedom was found in the company of the clouds, drifting amidst the sea of ice that trickled at the valley’s peak.

’I definitely struck him with the arrows, but that doesn’t mean anything against this guy–he’s still up here, I know it,’ Jae-Seong thought.

As he scanned the clouds around him, only finding drifting frost, he waved his arm, commanding a roaring clap of thunder that pushed away the floating mist. There was nothing there, though a massive shadow casting itself above him brought his gaze upward–

What could only be described as a mountain of ice loomed above, blocking out the sight of the moon entirely as it came down like a meteor from the cosmos.

"...The Impervious Seven sure like to overdo it," Jae-Seong remarked, looking up at the colossal object.

There were few options when it came to handling the impossibly large mountain of ice.

’If it makes impact with the surface, it’ll wipe out the Sevaraid domain entirely. This is going to be a hassle...’ Jae-Seong thought.

Drawing in an empowering breath, his chest expanded as his muscles inflated as if filling with air. Once more, his back changed, connecting the glowing symbols into that of a hero’s image:

[—Blessing of Hercules—]

With the strength of the divine flowing through his limbs, he drew his breath once more before cocking his fist back. The descending glacier consumed his entire vision, carrying with it a frozen wind—

Right as it came within reach, he sent his fist forward. Commanding such strength, the space around his knuckles distorted, bringing the sky to shriek as he punched the frozen meteor.

The absurd strength packed into the blow halted the momentum of the ice. From the point of impact, it caved in, spreading cracks through its frozen form before—

It shattered; into perhaps billions of fragments of frost, the mountainous sphere crumbled away in the night sky. The clouds around parted, fleeing from the tremendous force, leaving it clear.

As he expelled his breath, his swollen muscles deflated to their normal size as the symbol of Hercules left his back. He floated amongst the dazzling shards of ice left trickling through the air, looking around for the unseen body of the frost-wielder.

’There’s a good chance I annihilated him with that punch. Still, knowing this guy–’ Jae-Seong thought.

All of his suspicions were immediately confirmed as he heard the crackling of ice. Just as he moved to defend himself, the countless fragments of ice lashed out—

Like a thousand blades, they shot across his body from every angle.

"Grrk?!—"

He held his arms up, though it was too late as countless, shallow cuts traced his body. While focused on the tiny slashes, a force struck him from above like a divine hammer—

He was knocked out of the sky, crashing back down to the surface. All he saw was the frosty grass before managing to flip his body, landing on his feet as the soil caved in.

’Shit, I pet my guard down for a second and look where it gets me?’ He thought, looking at his bleeding arm.

Once more, the valley was frozen over as the bitter white crawled over the luscious green. In front of him, the ice sculpted the flesh and blood of the undying man.

Quintus sighed as ice crumbled from his reborn body, "It’s really tiring watching you, you know? All of this effort, but you’ve already lost."

"What’re you—hrrk!" Jae-Seong attempted to ask, though instead found himself vomiting blood.

It felt as though he was being sliced up from within by tiny blades, tracing along his internal organs. The splitting agony nearly brought him to his knees as he covered his mouth, spitting blood onto the frost.

"You’ve been breathing in minuscule fragments of my ice. Of course, I can control it even now—just like this," Quintus explained tiredly.

Jae-Seong cocked his fist back as the shards of frost tore at him from within, striking the air in the direction of his enemy.

"Seriously?—" Quintus asked with a raised eyebrow before the overwhelming force swept through him.

The moment that the wielder of frost was cast away momentarily, Jae-Seong spat out as a constellation etched itself on his back once again.

This time, the form of a divine altar manifested.

[—Blessing of Ara—]

As he took in a deep breath, it filled his body with a radiant, warm light. Through his veins, swimming through his blood, the blessed force eradicated the foreign substances in his body.

"Phew," Jae-Seong breathed out, wiping the blood from his mouth. "That was...unpleasant."

Sure enough, the member of the Impervious Seven responded, rebuilt once again, "What’re you made of exactly? Your organs should be mincemeat after that."

"You’re one to ask," Jae-Seong wryly chuckled, looking in.